Alberta-based beer hall restaurant Craft Beer Market confirmed back in December they were the new tenants at 1795 Beach Avenue - a prime ex-Boathouse location - and now the company is revealing their plans for the ample two-level space overlooking English Bay.
The Boathouse closed up in October 2018, having occupied that West End address with its enviable views since the late 1980s. The chain opted to leave behind the property in 2018 when their lease expired.
For their second Vancouver outpost - Craft's first location is in Olympic Village - the casual brew-centric restaurant has big plans, including a huge covered patio up top.
Spanning a whopping 11,000 square feet of space, Craft's English Bay location will feature a West Coast "sophisticated beach vibe" design with lots of wood and local art. The restaurant says that due to COVID-19, they made several modifications to their original design plans in order to ensure the health and safety of their guests and team members. Those design features, which affect the layout and service flows, include things like temporary and permanent partitions for distancing, as well as a new "contactless" feature for dine-in patrons.
Taking a bold step into what may be the future of dining, Craft plans to offer serverless dining sections, where guests will place their orders via an app and self-select seating. This will be the first Craft location to offer this kind of dining experience.
In another first. Craft's English Bay outpost will also have an on-site bottle shop. There, guests can pick up local and other North American craft brews to enjoy in the restaurant or to take home. The bottle shop will rotate their selections seasonally.
Of course, beer is on the menu big time at Craft, so of course diners will have their choice of over 100 beers, ciders, and meads, as well as wine and cocktails. The menu is described as featuring upscale comfort foods.
Renderings provided by Craft Beer Market show that the patio will be elevated and covered and will include the installation of a vintage Volkswagen bus, as well as table and bench seating.
“We are incredibly grateful to our loyal guests who have supported us at our False Creek location over the past six years. We’re very excited to open a second home in the city and become a part of Vancouver’s iconic West End neighborhood,” says PJ L’Heureux, Craft Beer Market’s President and founder. “This will be a unique and premiere location for CRAFT and will feature things that our guests haven’t seen in other Craft locations, or in other concepts in Vancouver. We will also pay homage to the history of this building and the surrounding area with new design features and offerings.”
No firm date for opening has been set, but Craft Beer Market indicates they hope to open their doors in English Bay later this year.
